Modular Pedal Power Displays

Please note: All our kits will be sold via The Curious Electric Company from now on. This page is for information only. Please visit our shop to see our current range of kits or contact us to discuss your project and how we might be able to help.

We have created a range of modular power monitors, regulators and displays. The basic modular unit has been designed for pedal generators within the range of 12-35V DC and up to 20A DC, but bespoke units for different voltage and current ratings are available.

Options are available to display power, regulate the power level or record data to a computer or SD card.

Here is the overview of the options available and their features.

These units are available ready built and tested. Please contact us to discuss your project and how we might be able to help.

Here is the range of units, showing the basic model, the regulator model and the power display model. They are enclosed in especially designed laser-cut wooden boxes.

The design of these units is modular, so that different features can be enabled depending upon the application.

Here is a short video of one of the displays:

They can be used anywhere DC power must be measured and displayed.

Knowledge is power. Use the pedalog to:

explain the concepts of power and energy

promote energy efficiency

explain basic electrical theory

create interesting and informative displays

Monitor and record voltage, current and power

Basic model

This is a ‘bare bones’ monitor. It monitors the voltage and current. It has an LED to provide feedback. It can output data (via a special lead) for use with: the computer visualisation, an SD card recorder or an LED display unit.

The LED provides feedback on the voltage. A voltage set-point can be entered (this is usually set to 12V DC, but can be from 0 to 50V). The colour of the LED will vary, with Green being “OK!”, Red being “Too Low” and Blue being “Too high”.

This unit is designed to be used in conjunction with a computer or the SD card datalogger.

Display model

This model has the same features as the basic model, but with a large and highly visual display of power. Power is displayed in watts (from 0-999W). It also provides feedback on the voltage level using an LED.

This unit can be used in any application (not just pedal generators) where DC power must be displayed.

Regulator model

The regulator model contains a ‘shunt’ type regulator which will regulate the output voltage level. It also contains a 12V output socket (car lighter type) and a 20A thermal fuse. This unit can handle 100W continuous and peaks of 200W. It is designed for use with single-person pedal generators.

This also has the same features as the basic model, with a serial data output for recording and display via a computer. It can also power an external 7 segment LED display or an LED bar graph display.

Scrolling LED display

This model displays the data on a scolling display which can have simple graphics added. This is also shown in the video above.

Scrolling text on the display.

Computer visualisation

The output from these devices is a stream of serial data. This gives voltage, current and power at one second intervals. This data can be connected to a computer (via a USB/serial lead). A visualisation program has been written (in Processing) to display the data on any computer. It is multi-platform and free to download program and programming language.

Note: The code is a work-in-progress at the moment. More details will be added here when complete.

Wireless data options are available so the data can be sent wirelessly to a local computer, using the equipment shown above. Please email us for more details and costs.

SD card data storage

The serial output data can also be recorded using our DataDuino serial version. This records the data to a comma separated variable (.csv) file which can be analysed and displayed later. The SD card recording unit can be added internally, or can be bought as a stand-alone remote unit.

Bar Graph Display

To show the output power these units can be connected to a large LED bar graph display. This gives a fun and highly visual display. Some more details are available here.

3 responses to “Modular Pedal Power Displays”

Hello, I am college student here in Los Angeles CA. One of my class project is to build a IV curve tester, to characterize solar panel. The panel we will be testing are rated at VOC 30v and ISC 12A. We would like to test it under different irradiance and under variety of resistance and finally transfer the data to pc or mac to plot graphs or have it display on a lcd monitor. I will all the advice and list of product i will need either from you guys somewhere online. i appreciate any help you can provide.
thanks
shoab siddiquie

Quoting shoab siddiquie:Hello, I am college student here in Los Angeles CA. One of my class project is to build a IV curve tester, to characterize solar panel. The panel we will be testing are rated at VOC 30v and ISC 12A. We would like to test it under different irradiance and under variety of resistance and finally transfer the data to pc or mac to plot graphs or have it display on a lcd monitor. I will all the advice and list of product i will need either from you guys somewhere online. i appreciate any help you can provide.
thanks
shoab siddiquie

Thanks Matt, for taking the time to response. I was wondering if it will be a good idea to start with the “pedalog” circuit that you have built and Let me know if I can order that online. from you guys.
Thanks again
shoab

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Re-Innovation

Renewable Energy Innovation specialise in electrical and electronic systems for renewable energy projects, mainly solar, wind and micro-hydro. We focus on renewable energy based stand-alone power supply systems (off-grid systems). This includes power and energy monitoring, battery charge control and wiring systems. Please contact us to talk about your project. If you require consultancy, design and implementation services for your renewable energy project please contact us.

Curious Electric Company

The Curious Electric Company specialise in creating electronic kits that help you monitor and measure the world around you, with clever data loggers and sensors you can take the pulse of your planet, collect and share data and knowledge with the world. Be informed - stay curious!

Bespoke Gear

Our sister business, Bespoke Gear have been building interactive pedal-power systems for over 15 years. Doing events and selling equipment to a wide variety of customers in that time we have learnt what works. We design and build high-quality, robust pedal-powered equipment and bespoke, interesting and interactive displays. If you are trying to promote environmental awareness, energy efficiency, getting people fit or just want something thats a bit different for your event then we might have something for you.